Deep End (Tokyo Ghoul)
by Serenity8625
Summary: Tsukiko, a girl who abandoned her last name in hopes of erasing her past, gets caught up in some unwanted circumstances when meeting the newly-turned ghoul; Kaneki Ken. It gets better, trust me. The prologue is a little eh, but I think it gets better... :) Rated T for now, might be M later. I do not own anything, all characters belong to Sui Ishida, Tsukiko is my only creation.
1. Chapter 1

**Minor edits were made.**

**prologue | chapter 0**

TSUKIKO WAS THRILLED TO get out of the third ward. With the heavy presence of the CCG there, it was near impossible to live there without getting caught and or killed. She had decided to go to the most peaceful ward: The 20th, where the ghoul run cafe ('Anteiku',) resided.

It was also rumored (well, not really rumored. Banjo had told her that Rize was headed to the 20th ward, so it wasn't a 'rumor' to her as it was to others.) that Kamishiro Rize (more publicly known as the _Binge Eater_) was there, as well.

Now, Tsukiko didn't _dislike _Rize, but she thought the other female was greedy. Tsukiko was no peacekeeper, and she sure as hell didn't care for humans like those ghouls at Anteiku did, but eating as much as Rize made her want to puke. She hoped Rize would put her act together and try not to catch the attention of the CCG, but Rize was living the life she wanted (_full; never empty) _so she couldn't do much to stop her.

Tsukiko was not weak, she knew that, and after years of fighting Doves in (wards) 1-4 - she reckoned she was pretty tough. But she was getting tired. Tired of all of the fighting, all of the eyes watching her as she struggled to eat human food, she wanted to be _happy. _As sappy as that sounds, it was true. She could not recall the last time she smiled genuinely, laughed until she cried, or became dizzy from happiness.

But, that was another matter entirely. Right now, she was thirsty, and her coffee machine had broken a few days ago (_how ironic) _and she _needed _her coffee. She was an addict, like most ghouls were, to the ambrosia that us ghouls called coffee. Pure black too. _Perfection. _

Since she planned on going to Anteiku one way or another, she decided to get it over with. Survey the 'competition,'. Not that they were probably going to be (_except for the owl, eep!). _The non-killing owl of the 20th ward, talk about scary.

~~~Time skip~~~

The bell rung as I swung open the door, and my eyebrow twitched in irritation. My ears were sensitive as all hell, and I was not in a good mood. Hopefully coffee would help that.

Just as I sat down, a young girl (who _reeked _of ghoul) came up to me, her notepad already out. She had a (_fake_) smile on her face as she asked me what I wanted to get.

"Coffee. Black, if you would miss- er..." I paused and glanced at her name-tag, "Miss Kirishima?" She nodded.

"I'm going to go make your order, thank you for stopping at Anteiku, miss." she turns and walks away.

"Your coffee, miss," Kirishima exclaims as she set the coffee cup onto the table. I immediately grab the handle and bring it to my lips, sipping it.

"Thank you, Kirishima-San, I really needed this, ha-ha!" I chuckle, my hand coming up to cup my cheek. "This is really good, did you make this?" I add.

"I did, thank you for the compliment!" she rubs the back of her neck in slight embarrassment, her eyes closing as well.

I smile at her, before taking another sip of the coffee. It truly was _divine. _

"Have a good time, miss," she says, waving her hand as she walks away to take another order.

(_sorry for ooc Touka, but that's how I imagine she would act with customers...)_

"_The human body comprises trillions of cells, each one a complex unit with the intricate workings in itself. Cells are the building blocks of tissues, organs, and eventually, the integrated body systems that all interact- allowing us to function and survive." *_

_"_Cells are the building blocks, huh? Now that I think about it, that does make sense... The cells take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy and carry out different functions. I suppose it would be similar to RC cells for ghouls, right? RC cells might be a mutated cell ('_it probably is,'_ she thought). Humans are our food, and when we eat their flesh, that flesh gives us energy. Like with humans and their wide selection of... Food."

I feel a yawn escape me, accompanied by my jaw unhinging. "Time to go to bed, or time to find some food? I haven't eaten in a while and it might be beneficial to me to grab a small snack..."

**End chapter! **

**Hello... It's me. So, I've been reading the TG manga recently, and have gotten some inspiration to write a new fic. This is reader interactive. This means that the readers decide where the story goes. Whenever you see a question at the end of a chapter, it will have an empty box near both options, for example:**

**Should I discontinue this story? [] Should I continue this story [] **

**There you go.**


	2. chapter one kuro

**sorry if this seems rushed, or bad. I just wanted to get an update out**

**before I go out to the black hills tomorrow, so here you go!**

***Minor edits were done.**

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❝ When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful. - Malala Yousafz. ❞

Chapter one | Kuro

TSUKIKO HAD NEVER SMELLED anything so delicious in her short (19 years) life. The person who smelled so delightful was a boy (_about her age?) _and had a bland hair-cut, but had luxurious black locks. He wore a small, shy, and a polite smile as he asked for her order, and she realized at that moment, he was a ghoul.

_How does a ghoul smell good? They taste like horse-shit. _

"Black coffee, please. Nothing added if you could?" she only asked him out of politeness (as she was taught) but he humored her before stepping away from her to go make her order.

_Odd. He smells like Rize-San. I wonder why. Perhaps they are related? Or dating? I would not be surprised. Rize sometimes likes to play with her food before taking a bite. _

While she was delving into her thoughts, the boy had come back and had gently placed the cup of coffee in front of her before leaving. The sweet smell of coffee entered her nose and she let out a contented sigh before taping a gulp.

_I need to fix that damned coffee machine. _She thought, absent-mindedly playing with a strand of her hair. Sadly, she couldn't, she had rent to pay this week, and she didn't want to fall short. It cost 159165 ¥ which was $1500 (one dollar in the US was 106.11 ¥)

_Next paycheck. Or... I could get another job..._ It wasn't a bad idea, though she was attending school now. So it was going to be a bit tough, but she was sure she could manage. She decided she was going to apply here, at Anteiku. If not for it being an all-ghoul staff, but just so she could work together with the cute boy that smelled like a ангел. (1)

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Looking into the mirror, I once again fought with the _one _strand of hair that _would not _behave. I was going to apply to Anteiku today, and I wanted to make the best impression on the staff (_mostly the boy, but whatever). _If this strand of hair didn't behave, I'd be forced to be made a laughing stock, and there was _no way in hell _I was going to embarrass myself so thoroughly.

"You know what," I whispered, sparing a sharp glance at the strand of hair. "I am going to murder you," I had scissors in my hand and I was _not _afraid of using it.

_Snip, snip. _"AHA! It's fixed, it's gone, the bane of my existence!" I yell, throwing my arms up into the sky.

"Now I just need to style it differently..." I mutter, staring at my face (and hair) in wonder.

I decided a hime-dere style would suffice. It was different, it looked good, and I wanted it so why not, right? When I was finished, I looked into the mirror, noticing none of my makeup (very _light _makeup, mind you) was smudged or ruined. With a winning smile, I nodded in satisfaction, before turning to the door and running out.

I put on some black flats and a black cardigan after grabbing a bottle of water (_that I chugged down right there) _and bolted out of my apartment. I was walking, though, as soon as I was done locking my door. I didn't want to be all tired and sweaty before showing up. (They were ghouls, and I knew that I did _not _smell good when sweaty)

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The bell rang and (like last time) it hurts my ears. "Miss Kirishima!" I walked up to her, my confident smile never wavering at the sight of her mild glare. (I had taken to calling her bunny after finding out her ghoul identity, and she was probably _still _pissed off that I had called her something so... As she said, "degrading," psshhh, it was cute!)

"Yes, Tsukiko-San? What do you need?" she was polite (only) because there were human customers near our position.

"I need to talk to your manager, Yoshimura-San, correct?" I answer, my right hand twiddling with a strand of my hair nervously. (Though he was the _non-_killing owl, he still scared me. I was only an S-rated ghoul, and he was an SSS+ rated ghoul. He could kill me in a matter of seconds!)

"Why?" she was suspicious of me. _Great way to make a good 'impression' of your future co-workers, Tsukiko._

"I want to work here, is all. Don't get your panties in a twist, Bunny-San." I replied and upon looking at her face, immediately giggled at her. She looked pissed.

Instead of getting the manager, though, she only said to come after dark.

"12:30. Alright? Don't be late or I'll kick your ass." she whispered to me and turned around. Why was everyone just walking away from me? Was it my face? My hair?

Or maybe she didn't want to talk to me. That was a plausible conclusion.

_Oh well, I guess I could just continue reading. _I pulled out my book from my blue bag and opened it up from where I left off.

"**Human Evolution.**

_Who are we? Where are we from? We can attempt to answer the question by studying human evolution. Evolution provides a context for understanding the structure and function of your bodies, and even how we behave and think._

**Ancient Origins.**

_In placing our species within the animal kingdom, it is clear that we are primates- mammals with large brains compared to other mammals, good eyesight, and, usually, opposable thumbs. Primates diverged, or branched off, from other mammal groups on the evolutionary tree at least 65 million years ago, and possibly as far back as 85 million years ago."_

The woman who wrote this was intellectual. Alice Roberts, the creator of the book, 'The Complete Human Body.' I had only just started, but it was already a fascinating book.

Since I wanted to be a doctor, I had to go to med school, and I had decided to read this so I could understand more about the human body. I was already in my second year of med school, and it was going pretty well, so I had decided to continue my education.

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Looking down at my (basically) empty wallet, I nearly cried. I swear, this apartment was nice and great, but sometimes I think that it isn't worth draining my wallet every month.

The coffee machine I wanted costs 34910.19 ¥ (329.00$ USD). It was pretty expensive, but I was tired of depending on Anteiku for coffee. It was nice seeing the boy (who I learned was Kaneki Ken- what a _cute _name) every time I went there but I also liked having coffee whenever I wanted to. (Anteiku was not open 24/7... And when I needed coffee at 3 in the morning, I sure as hell couldn't break into the coffee shop just to have a cup of black coffee. I was tempted to do that, though.)

It was nearing 12:30, and I, being the polite lady I am, showed up a whopping' 10 minutes early. I regretted it at once. I regretted ever agreeing to come out this late. Touka made me wait two hours. TWO HOURS. Now, I was patient, to an extent. This was pushing it.

If I had known how impolite and rude she was, I would have never shown up_. _But, now that she was here, I found that I couldn't start to yell at her. She looked sick. (And she smelled of human food. Maybe she consumed it to blend in?)

"Touka-San, are you feeling alright?" I question her, the concern in my voice very noticeable.

She scoffed, "Bakatsuki, of course, I am."

I raised both of my hands in a placating gesture. "Hai, hai, Touka-san. But, now on to the matter at hand. Why did you ask me to meet you here?"

"To say you got the job. Goodbye- bakatsuki." she waved and started walking away.

My jaw had probably hit the floor by now, I was so shocked. "Wait! What the hell? You did not just make me wait for two hours and that's all you have to say?!"

Touka turned around and looked back at me, her mouth quirked into a small smirk.

"Oh, you start in two days. 8 o'clock. Be there by 7:30, alright?"

I only nodded dumbly and watched her amble away, her footsteps unsteady and aimless. I was worried, was she not getting enough flesh?

Eh, what did I care? If she wasn't taking care of herself, who am I to judge? It's her life.

Oh, that reminds me. Did I just join up with the human-loving idiots of the 20th ward, because of a coffee machine?!

_That's pathetic. _

**End of Chapter One!**

**Hello, everyone. I was surprised anyone had read my story.**

**It was a nice surprise! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and you can expect another one soon. **

**I'm super paranoid and I keep checking to make sure I have everything spelled right and all that jazz, so this is like the third time I've edited this, no joke.**

**-Author**


	3. chapter two first day

**I love this chapter, or at least what I have planned for it. **

**I hope you enjoy as well! **

**Minorly edited.**

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❝ I've been hurting to find someone to make it right. -Isak Danielson (Bleed Out) ❞

chapter two | first day

TWO DAYS HAD GONE by in a flash. The next thing she knew, she was bolting out of her door (she hadn't locked it, either) with her hairbrush in hand, and her phone in the other. Touka-san had said to be at Anteiku at 7:30, it was now 7:51. Touka was going to kill her, bring her back, and then kill her again.

She had not meant to sleep in. But, it was a giving she wasn't two _hours _late, given how late she stayed up. You couldn't blame her, either. She was in the middle of a good read and the action had just started, and _oh my goodness _why did he _kill her_?! They were soul mates, lovers, star-cross lovers! Whatever you wanted to call it, that's what they were.

She didn't want another crying session, so she wiped the thoughts of the book away from her head. She had a job to do and she didn't want to die today just because of a _book. _

When she reached Anteiku, she was sweating (nothing some perfume couldn't fix, but still) and panting. She wasn't much of a runner and all her enemies exploited that weakness as soon as possible. Even Rize-san had said she was a terrible runner. Talk about the shame of the day.

She pulled out her rose perfume (brand new, might she add) and sprayed just enough to cover the smell of her sweat. Obviously, ghouls with _great _noses probably could smell her, but it'd be less potent. With that out of the way, she put it back into her bag, her nerves tingling.

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Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Touka wasn't even awake yet and I had arrived _way _earlier than normal. I had thought about going back home to take a shower, but decided against it. I smelled fine as it was and I really didn't want to be late for _real. _

_Ken-Kun _was already there when I opened the door with the key Touka-san tossed to me yesterday. He looked up in surprise before smiling at me. I waved and muttered '_good morning,' _and promptly sat in a chair.

"Not much of a runner, I take it?" he asks me, wiping down the tables.

"Not at all. I swear running will be the thing that kills me. Not doves or any other ghoul. Running." I grumble and my eyebrows furrow because of my irritation.

"Don't worry! I'm not a runner, either. Touka-san has been lecturing me about getting stronger and everything... It's very overwhelming," he tries to console me. It works, too, surprisingly.

"You train with her?" I ask curiously. _It might be more she beats his ass and then expects him to get back up... _

He rubs the nape of his neck in embarrassment, "Train? Yes, well, I try. I can barely get my kagune to come out... Apparently, most of a ghouls strength depends on their kagune. Is that true?"

I nod to his question. "Of course, it made purely out of RC cells, too. It's pretty cool! But, wait, what do you mean you can barely get your kagune out?" I ask him, my confusion making my face contort into a different expression.

He stutters before falling silent. _Did I say something insensitive? Way to go, Tsukiko!_

"U-Uhm... I'm sorry if I offended you or anything! I know those things are personal... Please excuse my rudeness!" I bow to him. _Truthfully, I didn't know if those things were personal or not. Back with Rize-san and Banjo-Kun, we never really thought about being polite towards each other. Except for Banjo-Kun, actually. He always tried to be polite. _

He hums before turning back to his work. I let out a loose sigh. _Way to go, your crush hates you. Wait? Did I just say crush? Oh wow, I did. _

I force myself to calm down. Kaneki-san had said something to me about preparing some dishes before the cafe opened. I listened intently and I could tell he enjoyed the small amount of attention I gave him. _Did he not get enough? I don't understand why not. He's nice, smart, and sweet. How could he be ignored? _

"And that's all you have to do. Do you understand, or do you have any questions?" he asks me and his head tilts to the side, making him look like a small puppy.

Before I know what's happening, I'm hugging him tightly.

"Arigatou gozaimashita, Kaneki-Kun!" I grin at the boy before pinching his cheeks. He flushes with embarrassment before stuttering out words like, "What are you doing?!" or "Please stop!" It was charming.

I let him go after muttering under my breath that he was the most kawaii person I had ever seen. He certainly heard and concealed his face in mortification.

"I'm going to have fun working with you, Kaneki-Kun!" I say shyly, my head bowing to the elder boy. I hear him mutter a soft _'likewise,'._

_"_My name is Tsukiko, by the way. But feel free to call me whatever you want! I don't mind." I mentally slapped myself, but my cheeks grew warm at the thought of him calling me Tsuki-chan. That would be adorable.

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"Do you have everything prepared, bakatsuki?" Touka asked as she peered over my shoulder, grimacing as the smell of human food wafted through the air.

"Hai, hai, Touka-san. Please calm down and let me do your job," I give her a soft, closed eye, smile.

I get rewarded with a smack to the head. I blink at her owlishly.

"That hurt! Baka Touka-san!" I glared at her playfully. Truthfully, it didn't hurt at all. I barely felt it, but I decided to humor her anyway. She huffed before flicking me on the nose, playing along with her own charade.

"That's what you get for talking to me like that, bakatsuki," she smirks at me in a mischievous way, her pretty hues glittering.

"You're so Kawaii!" I squeal. But before I could engulf her in a hug, I was pinned to the floor and had a knee in the middle of my back. I whined and started squirming. _If this is how sisters treat each other, I'm glad I don't have any. Touka-san is like having 2 of them. Pure hell._

"You brat! Unhand me this instant!" I joke, and I'm barely containing my laughter. I have to bite my lip to keep it in. This girl was younger than me and still managed to pin me down. Sure, I wasn't on guard (it was the exact opposite) or anything, but I should have been able to stop her. I need to up my training it seems. Especially if one of the human lovers could manhandle me so easily.

I smelled Kaneki before I heard him. Was he bleeding?

"Touka-san, what are you doing to Tsukiko-san? Am I interrupting something?!" he looks squeamish at the thought.

"No. We're both straight, Bakaneki. Get your head out of the gutter!" she glares at him and he shrinks back with a nervous gulp. I only knew that because I was watching his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"Eh? I happen to be very bisexual, thank you! I swing both ways. Who knows? Maybe this could have escalated into something less innocent than a friendly squabble? Eh, Touka-chan?" I wiggle my eyebrows for a comical effect and I hear her choke.

Kaneki chuckles at her expression. He sobers quickly though.

"We open in 5 minutes, by the way," he mutters, shooting the clock on the wall a glance. I jolt. _What if I mess up? Would they fire me? I really need that coffee machine. _

Touka notices my distress instantly. "You'll be fine. If bakaneki can manage it, so can you. So stop being such a worrywart and focus on not dropping anything, OK?"

"Hai, Touka-Sensei!" _slap. _"Don't call me that!"

"Alright, bunny-san, I won't," she glares at me in annoyance before helping me up and off of the floor.

"Go put the food in the display cases, and you! Kaneki, go flip the open sign to 'open'!"

She receives a thumbs up from me and a shy sound of confirmation from Kaneki-Kun.

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"What would you like today, sirs?" I approached the group of guys sitting in the corner of the cafe confidently. They look me up and down (_I struggle to keep my kakugan from activating, so I form a closed-eyed smile, instead.)_

The guy closest to me goes first. "Hot cocoa, please." I nod and write it down. Looking towards the other male, I ask him what he wants.

"A tea-latte, please." A man who is already balding goes next.

"A white chocolate mocha." his gruff voice answers.

Once their orders are written down, I smile and say I'll be right back.

"Touka-chan, we have three orders. Can you make one for me?" at her swift nod, I smile and ask her to make the hardest one (the one I didn't know how to make, not that I would tell her that.)

"Which one, Tsukiko-chan?" I point to the last order written down and she nods, getting to work.

Once the hot cocoa is done, I start on the tea-latte.

I add 4 spoonfuls of loose leaf tea and one tablespoon of sweetener to the steeper, and then I filled it with 1¼ cups of hot water. Next, I frothed one cup of milk in the frother. When that was done, I distributed the tea into one of the 16 Oz mugs with the frothed milk. It looked good, but I knew it would only taste like crap.

"Here you go, Tsukiko-chan." Touka had placed the mocha she made onto a tray and passed it over to me, I took it and added my own drinks to the platter.

"Thank you, Touka-chan. You're a life-saver!" I grin at her, my grip on the tray tightening. She waves me off, muttering about keeping customers waiting.

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"Here you go, one hot cocoa, one white chocolate mocha, and a tea-latte! I hope you enjoy." I placed their drinks down swiftly before collecting the yen they owed. 10.50 ¥ in total.

After that, I felt more confident. I had declined their tip because I figured they needed it more than I did(and well, I also didn't expect it, either), and I still can't get their embarrassed faces out of my head.

_They are Americans, they are most likely used to giving tips, despite how good or bad the service was. They looked so awkward, too. I feel bad for them. _

With my sensitive hearing, I could hear something hit the floor from upstairs. I couldn't go up or there would be no one on duty _(Kaneki-Kun had just left after realizing he was using the wrong type of beans, and Touka-san went up there a little bit ago. I wonder what is happening.) _

I knew Touka had gone and attacked some doves last night, was she injured? Did she collapse? She looked fine just a moment ago! Or was the Kaneki-Kun? I didn't take him for the clumsy type. Shy? Of course. But not inept.

_I'll ask tomorrow. _

**End of Chapter Two! **

**Yay. I love this chapter, and guess what? **

**We reached 2000 (5.5 pages!) words, how amazing is that?**

**We're finally getting some manga plot (if that makes any sense) **

**and I am really excited. This is a slow build fic, so don't expect a relationship just yet. **


	4. chapter three masks

**last chapter was kind of crack and I wanted to make a new one now that**

** I finally have internet on my laptop, so here you go!**

**Minor edits were made! :)**

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❝ Yes, I'm crawling on my knees. -Gert Taberner (Fallen) ❞

TSUKIKO OVERHEARD KANEKI'S AND Yoshimura-San's conversation as she walked up the stairs to grab a blend of coffee. She hadn't meant to, but she had to keep the customers happy and to do that she had to make the coffee for them (or whatever else they ordered).

"_Touka-chan... Involved with the investigators... But why? More importantly, we have to treat that wound." _I heard Kaneki whisper. He sounded confused and upset.

"_No." _Yoshimura-San's voice seemed to echo throughout the hallway. I didn't know he was there and I could feel myself shiver.

"_Huh?" _

"_I said- no." _Yoshimura-San reiterated.

The next stand of words was cut off slightly. "-_Talking about? She's bleeding!" _Ah, Kaneki.

Yoshimura-San's voice, on the other hand, was loud and clear, "_I'm saying that she got involved with the doves... She is prepared to carry all the responsibility herself..." _

What Yoshimura-San says next shocks me, "_Whether she lives or dies shouldn't be anyone else's concern." _It seems cold at first, but I get where he is coming from. Touka-Chan shouldn't be so reckless next time if she wants to live. It doesn't help that her stupid human friend keeps making her eat human food.

"_Anteiku's exists in order to help others..." _I hear Kaneki mumble in hysteria.

This is when I realize I've been standing here for the past 5 minutes, and I should probably get back to my post. Yoshimura-son probably knew I was there, and I didn't want to intrude, so I left without the coffee beans.

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"I have to apologize, miss, it seems we do not have any of those coffee beans left. We should have them restocked tonight if you are willing to come back tomorrow," I smile sheepishly at the older woman, her taller stature and strikingly purple eyes intimidating me a bit.

"Ah, it's fine. I shall have a glass of water, then?" she makes it sound like a question and her head tilts to the side. If I wasn't so into Kaneki-Kun, I would definitely make a move on her.

Instead, I smile at her, my bangs covering my eyes slightly. "Right away, ma'am!"

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I decide to close up shop. I don't know where everyone else is and it's getting tiring to deal with the scent of so many humans. I haven't eaten in a while, not since that other night.

"Huh... Maybe I should grab a quick snack? Ghoul or human is the question..." my eyes slide shut in exhaustion and before I know it, I'm passed out on a couch inside of Anteiku.

(**sorry for the so soon time-skip!**)

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"Tsuki-onee-chan...? Wake up, please," a young, feminine scent fills my nostrils and my eyes bolt open. _Ghoul. _I jump out of bed and backflip away from the couch.

I hear a giggle next.

"Onee-san is too cute," Hinami giggles, her hands splayed across her face in a failing struggle to stifle her giggling. I feel myself sulk in response to her teasing.

"Hinami-chan! What have I said about scaring people?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips. I can see her eyes crinkle.

"To _not _to," Hinami smirks at me, picking at her arms subconsciously. I shake my head at her audacity, my chuckle failing to complete my 'disappointed' act.

"Yes, I did," I blink my eyes open. "Hinami-chan, where are the others? Are they not here yet?" I question her, my eyebrows creasing in my confusion.

"Ah, I believe onii-san and Touka-onee-chan is going to go practice fighting. I hear onii-san is very bad at it..." she frowns after saying this, mirroring my expression.

"She's going to kick his,

"Ass," I finish.

"Butt," she says at the same time.

"Onee-chan! Don't say such bad words! It's not good..." she points her finger at me accusingly. I simply stare at her, waiting for her to admit defeat.

A few minutes seem to pass before puts her finger down with a scowl (_that rivals Satan himself...). "Fine. _You win, but only because you're an adult and can (_doesn't mean should! _She adds vehemently) say those words,"

"That's what I thought," I say before scratching my chin in thought, "Should I go see what Kaneki-Kun and Touka-san are up to? Besides Touka killing Kaneki-Kun?"

"Most likely. Can I come with?" she pleads. I instantly remember all of the signs that are out there (with _her _description!).

"Not this time, Hinami-chan. Maybe next time?" I attempt to smile at her, but it comes out as a sad grimace. I don't want Hinami-chan to go through what her mother did. (Touka-chan told me about it because Kaneki-Kun was too traumatized about it to say anything more...)

Hinami immediately understands. I drop to my knees beside her, wrapping her in a warm hug as she cries. I can feel myself tear up as well. _She just lost her mother, _I realize. _She needs someone to take care of her, and... I'm willing to do so..._

_Don't worry, Hinami-chan. _I hug her tighter. _I will take care of you, I promise._

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Hinami-Chan told me that they already (they are being Kaneki-Kun and Touka-san) met up here while I was sleeping. Hinami gave me directions to where they were going (which resulted in us snuggling for 5 minutes. She's too Kawaii!).

It ended with me pulling a lever and finding a passageway that smelled absolutely _terrible_. Thankfully, the sweet scent that was Kaneki was here or else I would have left before descending the steps.

I was expecting Touka to be showing him the basics (but why would I assume that? _Silly me..._) but that was the exact opposite of what was going down.

I heard Kaneki's scream, and I dashed towards him. But before I could, I see Kaneki-Kun's beautiful kagune emerge. It was _red. _So crimson I had a hard time looking at it. It's _beautiful. _

But, only one of his eyes is kakugan. Is it because he is an artificial ghoul? That makes sense. Since he was human before, it is kind of like he was born a half-ghoul (in a _way). If he wanted, he could say one of his parents was human and nobody would most likely question him. Though he smells more human than ghoul, so maybe that'd be a little far-fetched._

"The kagune you used before was stronger than this one..." Touka says, her kakugan staring at Kaneki-Kun.

"Let's go back up," she finishes. I flinch in surprise before fleeing back up the stairs. It's not like I was afraid of being caught, but I didn't want to be caught spying on the two of them. I'll have to tell Hinami-chan not to snitch on me when she is feeling more like... Well, herself.

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"The shape is a little different..." Touka mutters towards Kaneki-Kun. "But, you're the same Rinkaku-type of ghoul as Rize," I cut out her voice and pretend to be doing something productive.

Her voice gets significantly louder, though. "First, we have to burn the sensation of taking out your kagune into your body until you're able to bring it out or put it back in at will," _I agree with that. The first time it comes out, it hurts like a bitch. _

"As for the times when you can't release your kagune during close combat... Training your body is necessary, too," she berates him.

"For now, you should do 100 sit-ups, pushups, squats, and dorsal muscle exercises every day!"

Before Touka says anything else, I hear an interjection from Kaneki-Kun, "100 each!?" and his voice seems to be more acute than normal. I giggle at his outburst.

Then, she lifts his shirt up to reveal his smooth and flat (yet not muscled) stomach and chest. After a short amount of ogling, I feel indignation rise up in my chest. _How dare she?!_

"The hell? How do you plan to fight with this body?! Add more muscle!" Kaneki is red up to his ears in embarrassment.

Kaneki looks at me in surprise as I walk into view, waving at Uta as he walks in.

"I'm going to... I'm going to do it... If you understand, then good," Uta-san murmurs softly.

"Huh? Uta-San. What are..." Kaneki stares at Uta from his place beside Touka-san.

"Sorry," Uta-san says towards the duo.

Kaneki straightens up, "No! Hold on. Don't get the wrong idea...!"

Before he can embarrass himself further, I intervene, "Ne, Uta-san, why are you here?"

He turns to look at me and pulls off his black-shaded sunglasses. "I finished Kaneki-Kun's mask and so I wanted to deliver it as soon as possible..."

He continues, "Truthfully, I was considering just leaving it here and going home, but... Since I took the trouble of coming, I wanted to see you wear it, Kaneki-Kun."

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While Uta-san tells Kaneki-Kun how to put it on, I take the chance to glance at Touka-chan. She catches my gaze and shrugs before returning to look at Kaneki.

"What do you think? I wanted to keep the eye-patch theme since it suits Kaneki-Kun..." Uta-san throws the question out. I give a thumbs up and a tiny wink towards Kaneki-Kun. I can see his blush on the tips of his ears. _How cute._

Kaneki clears his throat before looking at Uta-San. "As for the eye-patch... Shouldn't it be on the other side of me?" he asks and I'm tempted to pace-palm at his obliviousness.

"Nope, I wanted to see the eye that's usually hidden..." Uta stares at his with both of his kakugan activated (when aren't they?) and a blank expression.

Kaneki-Kun fingers the leather before reaching the eye that isn't hidden. I can see the excitement in his eyes, and it makes me smirk in a mischievous way. So... He was into leather? (A/n: omg what did I just write wtf** XD**)

That's how I felt as well when I got my first mask. Uta-san made it, back when he was the ruler of the 4th-ward. He was dabbling in it and I decided I wanted him to make me a mask to replace my dove one.

I didn't like to be so closely 'related' to the CCG.

So now, my mask is a porcelain doll mask. I find it funny how Uta-san made it look like Annabelle from the movie (my absolute favorite, by the way). I thought I always looked creepy with it on, but Uta-san said I looked 'like a doll'. Oh, the irony.

**End of chapter three! **

**Sorry if this sucks, it isn't edited, and I kind of **

**rushed it. But, in the future, I will make sure**

**to come back and edit all of these chapters!**

**5.1 pages, yes! **


	5. chapter four doves

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TSUKIKO WATCHED IN THE DARK as Ken-Kun and Touka-san fought. She had let Touka know she was watching yesterday after Uta-san left, and she said it was alright. It was nice to see Ken-kun improve (even if it was barely noticeable) and she felt pride swell in her chest.

Tsukiko had a set of headphones over her ears so she couldn't hear them talking, but she was watching. In all honesty, she could care less if she was here or not, but it always lifted her spirits up when she saw Ken-kun.

In 10 minutes, Touka-san decided it was enough for the day and led Ken-kun upstairs, gesturing for me to follow after Ken-kun stepped in the cafe. I nodded and hopped off of the uncomfortable crate I had been sitting on.

Instantly, I stretched. _Crack, crack, crack. _I sighed in relief and Touka-san rolled her eyes before following Ken-kun. I took my sweet time and closed the latch after exiting. Ken-kun seemed surprised that I was there before shaking his head. I felt the urge to strangle him all of a sudden.

Hear him choke. Hear him **_beg_**\- my thoughts were cut short when Touka-san started speaking. I ignored her and tried to figure out what was wrong with me. _Strangle_ Ken-kun! What was I thinking? I took a deep breath through my nose and instantly regretted it.

Ken-kun's scent wafted through my nose and weeks of no sustenance came crashing down on me. I could feel and _hear _my stomach growl in lust for his flesh. I left swiftly, my legs going too _slow, go go go gogogogogogogo_

_Don't eat him. You don't want to. What would happen if you did? You wouldn't have anything to entertain yourself with._

_**Just one bite. oneoneoneoneone**_

_No, you'll regret it, I know it. You'll regret it. Remember what happened last time? Don't eat him as you did her. You loved her but you butchered her_

_tore her apart and ate her (__**delicious**__) organs, you monster._

I heard the slap rather than felt it. I groaned, my mind trying to comprehend what had happened. I smelt a fiery scent- _Touka, _in front of me and I immediately calmed down. If it was Ken-Kun, I don't know what I would have done.

In the back of my mind, though, I could hear it whisper what I- no, _it, _would do to him. I shiver in repulsion, willing the voice to _shut the hell up. _It did, but I could still hear it's giggles echoing in my ears.

"...hungry..." I mumble, my stomach growling loudly at the two of us. Touka stares at me and hauls me up.

"Let's get the manager," she replies, her feet walking mechanically towards where Yoshimura-san's smell was strongest. I whimper and thrash against her as she carried me bridal style towards his office.

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A package of human flesh was thrust towards me and I couldn't help but drool slightly. I knew I looked pathetic, and I felt pathetic as well, but it's been _too _long for me.

Yoshimura-san leaves to give me privacy but Touka doesn't. She stands there, staring at her phone that lays in her right hand. I tear into the package and shove the bloody meat into my mouth, not bothering to smother my moans of pleasure.

It tasted like _Heaven. _It was gone before I knew it and I had to sigh in defeat as I looked at my bloodied school uniform. I'd have to request a new one again.

Touka sighs heavily before standing up. "You- come here," she grabs my arm before shoving a girls school uniform into my hands.

"I'm going to wear one too, and so is Kaneki-san. We're going to try and mislead the doves, OK? I'll explain in more detail when we are with Kaneki-san, alright?" when I nod, she continues speaking.

"Tomorrow come here, OK? Then we'll go and meet Kaneki-san,"

"OK. Why the outfits, though?" I question her, folding the outfit neatly before putting it into my bag. She looks at me but doesn't answer.

"Oh, and you might want to change your clothes. And maybe learn to be less messy, too," I growl at her, my scowl coming back full force as she leaves. Just to spite her, I take her favorite pair of sweatpants and her favorite sweater.

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I had to admit when I was looking in the mirror, that I looked _hella _good. I wonder if Ken-Kun would say anything? Or maybe he'd blush so sweetly, stuttering and mumbling as I squeezed the life out of him...

Eh, either way, I was going to be meeting him and speaking of meeting people... _I was so late. _First I had to go to Anteiku (meet up with Touka-san and then we were going to meet Ken-Kun). _Shit. Shit. _

For the nth time, I found myself bolting out of my apartment, slamming the door in the process and sprinting to Anteiku. I find Touka-san waiting there, not wearing the outfit. I find myself frowning in confusion, about to point out the simple fact that she _was not wearing the outfit, _but she just points to the bag before going opening her mouth.

"There you are! Jeez, if you're going to be late, at least let me know beforehand!" she shouts at me. I sweatdrop at the blatant display of hypocrisy. Scratching my cheek, I just grab her hand and tell her to lead the way. She complies but not before giving me a stern (and scary) lecture on good matters.

When we get there, I immediately see Ken-Kun. Sprinting towards him, I barrage him with a bear hug, hearing him choke and squirm before realizing it was just me.

"E-eh? Tsukiko-chan, Touka-chan? You're... early...today?" he says, patting my shoulder to try and make me release him. I did so reluctantly. He notices the bags Touka-san is carrying.

"What's in those bags...?" he asks us. Touka holds them up and tells him they're clothes that he (and she) was going to wear.

"I borrowed them so don't get them dirty," she declares. Ken-Kun looks at us and notices our (almost) matching uniforms before nodding and accepting the bags.

When he is finished changing his attire, he walks out of the bathroom he was in previously. He resembles someone that is deep in thought. I watched as Touka-san approached him and followed, smiling merrily at him.

"It fits," are the two words out of her mouth, and I find myself mentally face-palming because of '_captain obvious.' _Honestly Touka-san, way to state the obvious.

"Like this, being together won't be weird," she adds, and before she can say more, I speak up.

"You look like a kid, anyways, Ken-Kun, so you blend in better!" I beam at him, my cheeks aching from how wide they were spreading.

"But, we should change your look a little bit... Right, Touka-chan?" I turn towards her as I ask her.

"Yeah, just something... like..." she grabs his head and starts messing it up, and ignores the cry that Ken makes. She pulls back and inspects her handiwork. I stare at Ken-Kun before swooping him into a hug.

"Don't worry! You still look adorable, _my _Ken-Kun!" I giggle before placing a kiss on his forehead. He flushes scarlet before looking away shyly. I gush silently before I'm extracted from Ken-Kun's body by Touka-san.

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Ken-kun speaks up before the two of us. "Would you explain this already, Touka-chan, Tsukiko-chan? Making me wear a uniform and messing up my hair...What the hell is going on?"

We arrive at the CCG office and no one answers Ken-kun's previous questions.

We stare up at the building as the wind rustles our hair (dramatically).

Ken interjects again, "Uhm... where are we...?"

I answer him, "CCG. Commission of Counter Ghoul."

He looks at us in disbelief, "Hold on...do you mean you're going in there?" ah, he hasn't caught on yet.

"Not 'you're' but 'we're'," Touka-san clarifies, turning to look at him as I shuffle on my feet.

"Don't be nervous, Ken-kun! Just act as you did before, it shouldn't be too hard, right?" I attempt to cheer him up, my efforts were wasted as he explodes.

"_That's crazy! Suddenly invading the enemies base, there's a limit to how reckless one be!" _

"Shut up, dumbass. Let's go," she responds in kind, tugging him by his tie as I sweat-drop at their antics. If I didn't like Ken-kun, I would definitely ship the two of them together.

We stop at a sign. "Look at this," she points at it, her expression shrouded in seriousness.

"Wanted posters?" he whispers.

"Yes, for ghouls," I affirm, my tone darkening as I spot Hinami's description posted on there.

"Tsukiyama, Rize, and the last bit... is about Hinami," I tell him, watching as his expression morphs into horror.

Touka speaks up, "The doves get tips from ordinary people,"

"Is that so?" was Ken's timid reply.

"...Today we are students of Shuuyuu High School," we watch as she adjusts her glasses in fragile silence.

"We're going to talk to them, and you're going to be the yes-man," she directs this to Ken-kun before looking at me pointedly. Nodding my head, I give them both a quick smirk before changing it into a smile.

Ken stutters but agrees anyway.

We walk inside the building and Ken mumbles nervously. "Somehow... without my eyepatch, I can't calm down..."

"Someone wearing an eye-patch would probably be easier to remember, right?" _Bingo._

"Yeah... I thought about that,"

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The three of us step up to the lady at the front desk. She smiles at us, before giving us sheets of paper.

"You're here to provide information, right? Thank you. Please fill out your name and contact information,"

Touka-san looks at the lady "shyly" before asking if it was possible that only she did it. The lady says yes, and I can hear Ken let out a small sigh in relief.

The lady continues, "The person in charge is on their way here, so please sit and wait," we all nod and walk away awkwardly before sitting down together.

While Touka-san fills out the paper, I listen around the room, pretending to be bored.

"_The "Gourmet" got another one of our guys, again. Murata-san's unit is in bad shape too," _

Ken notices the RC scan gate and turns to us and asks what it is. I give him a small smile.

"It's an RC scan gate, Ken-kun," he tilts his head in confusion, his eyebrows wrinkling in his confusion.

"RC scan...?"

Touka cuts me off before I can start speaking (which makes me want to throttle her), "I don't understand it very well, but ghouls have an RC factor 10 times higher than a human. When those cell readings are examined, a ghoul can be found out in just one try,"

I nod at her explanation before continuing it for her, "That gate can (essentially) read our RC cells and see how many we have. Normal, healthy humans normally have a range from 200 to 500, and ghouls have a range from what was it... aha! 1000 to 8000, if I remember correctly. Though the devices aren't widely used because there hasn't been a lot of money funneled into their development, yet. It seems major companies have adopted the same machine as the CCG, though." I take a deep breath after I'm done talking, and Touka gives me a grateful look for explaining it for her.

"I-I see... Then... what happens if the gate engineering progresses and they spread throughout the world...?" he swallows nervously when he asks.

Touka looks grim now, "...If that happens, we'll return to the underground..."

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A lady walks up to us with a wide grin, making her freckles stand out even more than before. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm the information head, Ruisawa! _Oh, what cute informants! Nice to meet you!~" _she is practically singing. I can feel a scowl threatening to break out onto my face but I manage to hold it in as I look at Ken-kun. _She is right, though. Ken-kun sure is adorable. _

If we are following the plan, Touka-san should start talking about it first.

So wh- oh, right now.

"There's a river that flows...near Kasahara elementary school, isn't there? I saw the girl that was posted on the board outside wandering around there, wearing clover clothing." the information head mutters an "uh-huh" and writes down the information.

Now it's my part. "She looked a little...worn down, didn't she Kanemoto-kun?" I turn towards Ken as I ask him, and replies swiftly (albeit nervously).

"Yeah, she was covered in mud, as well," I can see the sweat roll down his cheek. He's thinking of Hinami-chan most likely. Don't worry, Ken-kun, I promised to protect her. I'll keep this one promise, Ken-kun.

The annoying woman asks us for more information and Touka says we don't have anything else. Which was true, we didn't (Touka and I) hadn't planned to say anything else. I'm just glad Ken-kun knew to play along. (Even though we told him to, but Ken-kun is always full of surprises).

To add to the act of an innocent human, I decide to ask her a question.

"Uhm... miss? "Ghouls" are a lot stronger than humans, right? Do the investigators fight them with handguns?" It was a stupid question and I knew it, but she seemed to buy the act.

The info. head clasps her hands together in a fake apology, "I'm not allowed to say anything about that... But! It's all okay because recently a couple of very skilled investigators have come here from the main headquarters! One of them is a tall and very handsome man," she starts blushing at the thought, while I just want to strangle her. Who cares if he's good-looking? Honestly.

The human in front of us continues blabbering, "The mother ghoul was eliminated by those two. I think they'll also find the escaped "Ghoul" as well!"

I can tell Touka-chan is faking her relieved expression and I feel worried that she might mess up the plan if this human makes her angry enough. Touka-san doesn't though (to my great satisfaction) and instead acts as a normal human would.

_At ease._

"Is that so? What a relief... But, killing such a young child is heart-breaking... isn't it?" The woman is still smiling (and I want to rip her apart _piece by piece and watch as her eyes dim as she dies)_

The woman giggles as if it was a joke. "It's okay because "Ghouls" aren't humans. Since we have concerns that they will cause us harm, it's natural for us to destroy them," _she is still smiling. kill her, kill her. kill all of them while you have the chance, Musume, dear._

_no, it's okay. she is just an ignorant human. she doesn't understand. this was how she was raised. it's not her fault._

_**don't lie to yourself.**_

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Once that was over, we got up and started walking out, talking about random things like courses and homework to make us blend in more. Until this rude old man, Mado, ran into Touka-san, making her exclaim in surprise and then pain.

Touka crumples to the ground with a shocked expression on her face, clutching her arm to her chest.

"Sorry. Are you okay?" the creepy investigator questions Touka-san.

"No..." she mumbles, wincing when she moved her arm a bit. Touka-san obviously didn't know who bumped into her until she looked up, her eyes widening as she recognized the man she _killed Ryoko-san. _

"I- I'm sorry!" she rushes away from him and looks back at us. We start walking away and Ken-kun whispers furiously to Touka-san.

"Touka-chan that person is-!"

"Save it for later... and don't call me by my name here!" she growls back.

"_You three!_" the crazy old man calls out, and we all freeze. He's walking towards us. "About the girl's information... I'm in charge of the afore-mentioned case. Call me "Mado". I wonder if you'd mind telling me your story for a little while...?"

"**Inside.**" he finishes, gesturing with his hands towards the RC scanner gate. I can feel the hairs on my neck stand up high, and I gulp.

**End of chapter! Oofta. Finally done. This was 8.1 pages! Holy crap.**

**I had fun with this chapter. But, I'm sorry if it's bland **

**or unsatisfactory... There will be some human killing**

**here soon, so don't get too bored, alright?**

**Thank you for all the support (reads), it means a lot! **

**Bye-bye**

**-author**


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